Polycycle propulsion means



May 21, 1935.

A. J. SCHOLTES POLYCYCLE PROPULSION MEANS Filed July 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 21, 1935. A. J. SCHOLTES POLYCYCLE PROPULSION MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 13, 1934 0 3mm lfll Bert cl ficholi'es,

Patented May Zl, 1935 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE "e 2,o02,04s

POLYCYCLE PROPULSION MEANS Albert J. Scholtes, Baltimore, Md. Application July 13, 1934, Serial No. 735,035

11 Claims. (01.208-37) The present invention relates to propelled vethe vehicle is shown in the present instance as hicles adaptable to toy construction, and hasfor comprisinga platform IU of suitable width at an object to provide a vehicle which may support its rear and intermediate portions to support the the rider in a standing position and may be profeet of a rider in standing position and which pelled by the movement of the foot on the vemay be reduced at its forward end to provide a 5 hicle without contact with the ground with subneck I! to which is secured a front bracket [2 stantially the same swinging motion as is recarrying a pivoted fork l3 in which a front wheel quired to advance the vehicleby actual impelling I4 is mounted for supporting the forward endof .contact of the foot with the ground at one side the platform Hi. The fork [3 may be carried upof the vehicle. wardly beyond the bracket l2 to any desired Another object is to enable the rider to move height for accommodating the rider in standing the vehicle more swiftly than heretofore with or other position and to provide a standard Hi the same swinging movement of the foot. having a handle bar it or the like at its upper A further object of .the invention is to provide end by means'of which the rider may balance a ratchet drive for the vehicle wherein the conhimself upon the vehicle. 15 tacting parts are separated when actual driving The rear end of the platform I0 is supported is not taking place so as to reduce wear on the in the present illustration upon a pair of traction several parts of the mechanism.) wheels I! fixed upon the opposite ends of a drive A still further object'is to provide a driving shaft l8 and the latter preferably engages across mechanism of this character which hasirelatively and in spaced relation to the pp Side Of the 20 few parts so constructediand relatively disposed platform Ill. Bearing standards [9 are bolted or as to leave the'body portion of the vehicle free otherwise suitably secured to. the upper side of and unobstructed for the feet of the rider and the plat fl adjacent the pp lateral which insures rigidity and strength to the entire edges thereof for en a in the drive sh ft 18.

structure, and the parts cannot be easily dam- Extending lon tud y in One Side portion 25 aged by the falling over and jarring of the vehicle of the platform is a longitudinal $1013 20 in and cannot easily get out of order, i' t which is freely mounted a rack bar 2|. The for- The invention also embodies features which Ward end of e rack has a e with may be incorporated in vehicles of various types the projecting portions extending pw y d and which may be easily operated by the-foot or d w w y from the pp Sides of h e 30 otherwise tomeet desired conditions of a'pplica- Z0 and these branches P je t o s of he T- tion and use. 7 I head are provided with transversebolts or pins With the foregoing and other objects inview, 22 supporti p i of S 23 Which engage 1 the invention will be more fully described heret e upp r and lower d s f the platform II at inafter, and will be more particularly pointedout the s t s s f th o v 20 so as t slid- 35 in the claims appended hereto; ably and pivotally anchor the forward end of the n In t drawings, wherein k symbols referto rack bar 2! to the platform Ill. The rear end like or correspondjng parts throughout the gap of the rack bar 2| is free to rise and fall in the eral views, slot 20 and the rack bar is provided throughout 4() i Figure 1 is a side elevation of a propelled vethe major Portion of its lengthiand toward its 40 hicle embodying the features of the present-inl end With a plurality of ratchet teeth 24 vention. i 1 ing the engaging faces 25 thereof slightly in- Figure 2 is a top plan view of the s t clined to insure the easy release of'the ratchet forward end being broken away. i i or rack bar 2| under conditions which will be Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged bottom plan Subsequently ou t out. 45

view of the'rear portion of the vehicle platform; The rack bar 2| is normally urged forwardly showing the mounting of the rack bar and the in the slot 30 by p g 25 t like Which pressure or advancing means therefor. has one end anchored to the lower branch of Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section the T-head and which'has its other end secured so taken on the line 44 of'Figure 2, showing the upon a bolt 21 orthe like which is employed in parts in driving position, and a i holding the bracket l2 to the forward'end of the Figure 5 is a like view showing the parts in platform. This spring 26 also serves to normally released position and about the return for a new urge the rear end of the rack bar downwardly power stroke. through the slot 20.

5 sReferring now to the drawings, the body of Suitably fixedupon the drive shaft V I8 is a ratchet wheel 23 disposed in line with the rack bar 2! and having its ratchet teeth formed similarly to the teeth 24 with the inclined engaging faces 25.

These inclined sides or faces 25 of the teeth insure the separation of the rack bar from the ratchet when the relative movements are opposite to that effecting a driving action.

The rack bar 2! is forced backwardly against the tension of the spring 2% by a pedal 29 which may be integral with the upper branch of the T- head of the rack bar and which is suitably inclined to receive the sole of the foot thereagainst. A pad or cushion 36 may be mounted on the pedal 29 and the platform It has a resilient bumper 5i in the forward end of the slot to receive and cushion the impact of the rack bar 2i when moved forwardly by the spring 26 and hasa second cushion or bumper 32 disposed on the platform at one side of the slot 2i) preferably in line with one of the upper rollers 23 so as to limit the rearward movement of the rack bar under pressure of the foot. An inclined guide 33 is mounted beneath the rear end of the platform and the rack bar and is secured to the platform by bolts 3% and 35, the latter being the forward bolts and preferably being of greater length than the rear bolts 3 to accommodate a spacer or cushioning element 35 betweenthe platform and the forward end of the guide 33. The spacer 36 urges the guide in a forwardly and downwardly inclined position, this inclination being with reference to the effective parts of the guide as the latter may be of any exterior construction facilitating mounting on the vehicle.

Within the guide is disposed a pressure or lifting rollers! which engages against the lower side of the rack bar 2! and supports it. The roller 3? has trunnions 33 which project from opposite sides of the roller and engage, inclined trackways 3d which extend upwardly and rearwardly so that when the roller 3? is advanced or shifted toward the rear end of the platform the roller 31 is raised-so as to swing the rear end of the rack bar 2! upwardly into engagement with the ratchet wheel To facilitate the raising of the roller 31, the rear end portion of the rack bar 28 is provided with a notch or recess 40 of suitable size to fit the upper portion of the roller 31 so that upon the initial backward movement of the rack'bar 2! the roller 37 is moved upwardly in the guide and the rack. bar 2i is raised with the roller until the trunnions 38 strike the rear stops M whereupon the rack bar 2! is lifted by the roller till into intermeshing engagement with the ratchet wheel 28 and the roller 3f is held in its raised position by frictional contact of the rack bar 2i during its rearward power stroke.

This position of the parts is shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 5, after the power stroke is completed a forward notch or recess &2 in the intermediate portion of the rack bar 2! receives the upper portion of the roller 31 and the initial return or forward. movement of the rack bar 2! carries the roller Eil' into en agement with the front stops E3 to hold the roller 37. in a lowered position so that the rack bar 21 is free to drop down into the slot 2o under the action of the spring 2t as well as by its own weight.

The rack bar is thus freed from the ratchet wheel 28-, as shown in Figure 5, and may move forwardly into its initial position for the power stroke. g

In operation, the rider stands upon the platform it and balances the bodyby grasping the handle bar Hi. The weight of the body is supported upon the left foot in accordance with the particular structure shown and described therein, and the right foot is placed with the sole of the foot against the pad 38 of the pedal 29. The right foot is then swung rearwardly with the same motion as is necessary to move the vehicle forward by engaging the foot with the ground. However, the backward swinging movement of the foot against the pedal 29 forces the rack bar 2! rearwardly and the roller 3?, resting in the recess it is slid backwardly and upwardly in the guide 39 until the trunnions 3t strike the stop 4!. The further forcing of the pedal 29 rearwardly increases the pressure of the rack bar against the roller 38 with the result that the rack bar rides upwardly over the roller 3'1 and raises the recessed portion it of the rack bar out of contact with the roller. This rise of the rack bar on the roller brings the teeth 24 of the rack bar and the ratchet wheel 28 into intermeshing engagement and turns the ratchet wheel 28 with its axle l8, and consequently rotates the traction wheels 51 to propel the vehicle.

When the rack bar reaches its rear most position, at the end of the power stroke, the notch 42 of the rack bar registers with the roller 37 and the rack bar 2! is permitted to fall away from the ratchet wheel 28, thus releasing the rack bar from the ratchet wheel. The pressure of the foot is now released from the pedal 29 whereupon the spring 26 exerts a pressure upon the rack bar 2! to force the latter forwardly, and the return movement of the rack bar causes the notched portion 42 thereof to pull the roller 31 forwardly and downwardiyagainst the front stop 43 whereupon the rack bar may freely move over the roller. The spring 26, being connected to the lower end of the T-head of the rack bar, exerts av downward pressure upon the rear end of the rack bar as well as a pressure to move the bar forwardly so that the rack bar is held out of accidental contact with the ratchet wheel 28 incident to vibration of the vehicle.

It will be noted, particularly from Figures 1 and'4, that the rack teeth 24 of the bar 2! terminate rearwardly of the vertical planeof the recess 42. so as to leave a free and smooth surface portion at the forward end of the rack above the recess 42. This construction is for the purpose of insuring that at-the end of the power stroke the rack runs out of mesh with the ratchet wheel 28 before the rack bar 2i is lowered as the recess portion 42 registers with the roller 3?.

From Figure 4 it will be seen that the recess #8 is disposed beneath the rear end of the rack teeth 24 so that as the roller 3'1 raises the rack bar 2| the teeth will be brought into intermeshing engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 28, the axis of the roller 37 being at this time in line beneath the axis of the ratchet wheel 28. The roller 3'! when forward and lowered is out of vertical line with the axis of the ratchet wheel 28 and the rack teeth must be in position to intermesh immediately the roller and rack are raised. Also the teeth 24 of the rack must not extend rearwardly beyond the recessed portion 46 because should the rear end of the rack bar 2! be accidentally raised when in a normal forward position intermeshing of the rack and ratchet is not desired, and the rack bar 21 is smooth at its rear end.

What is claimed is:

1. In a propelled vehicle, a body portion having a traction element, operating means, and

connecting means operable to connect the operating means to the traction element upon a predetermined movement of r the operating means and to release the operating means upon a different predetermined movement thereof.

2. In a propelled vehicle, a body portion having a wheel with a pinion connected thereto, a rack bar on the body portion adapted to be reciprocated, and advancing and retracting means for the rack bar engageable thereby for moving the rack bar against the pinion when the rack bar is moved in one direction and for releasing the rack bar from the pinion when the rack bar is moved in an opposite direction. r

3. In a propelled vehicle, a body portion having a traction wheel, a gear member for turning the wheel, a rack bar member on the body por tion, and relatively movable means for the members engageable by the rack bar member to intermesh the members when the rack bar member is moved in one direction and to, disengage the members when the rack member is moved in an opposite direction.

4. In a propelled vehicle, a body portion having a traction wheel with a drive pinion thereon-. a reciprocable rack bar on the body portion, and

means for meshing the rack bar with the pinion when the bar is moved in one direction and for releasing the rack bar from the pinion when the bar is moved in an opposite direction.

5. In a propelled vehicle, a body portion having a traction wheel thereon, a drive ratchet wheel connected to the traction wheel, a ratchet bar slidably mounted on the body portion for turning the ratchet wheel when the bar is moved in one direction, and means for advancing the bar against the ratchet wheel when the bar is moved in said direction to turn the traction wheel, said means being releasable by the bar upon the return movement thereof to free the bar from the ratchet wheel.

6. In a propelled vehicle, a bodyportion having a wheel with a drive pinion connected thereto, a rack bar mounted for reciprocation upon the body portion, a shiftable pressure member mounted on the body portion at the under side of the rack bar remote from the pinion, an inclined guide for the pressure member, and pressurev member engaging means on the opposite end portions of the rack bar for shifting the member and moving the rack bar into engagement with the pinion upon the initial movement a traction wheel with a drive pinion thereon, a

rack bar upon its return stroke.

8. In a propelled vehicle, a body portion having a traction wheel with a drive pinion connected thereto, a rack bar mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on the body portion, means for yieldingly holding the rack bar out of engagement with said pinion, a roller, an inclined guide disposed lengthwise beneath the rack bar on the body portion andsaid roller having trumiions engaging the inclined guide, said guide having spaced stop means for limiting the movement of the trunnions lengthwise of the guide, and roller engaging portions disposed at opposite ends of the rack bar for alternate engagement with the roller to raise the same against the under side of the rack bar on the power stroke thereof and intermesh the rack bar with the pinion and to move the roller in the opposite direction for lowering the rack bar on the return stroke to free the bar from the pinion.

9. In a propelled vehicle, a body portion having a traction wheel and a drive pinion connected thereto, a rack bar mounted in the body portion for reciprocation beneath the pinion, pedal means for operating the rack bar, an inclined guide carried by the body portion beneath the rack bar, a roller disposed beneath the rack bar and having trunnions mounted on said guide, and roller engaging means disposed at opposite ends of the toothed portion of the rack bar for alternate engagement with the roller to shift the same lengthwise on the guide beneath the rack bar for raising and lowering the bar upon the respective power and return strokes thereof.

10. In a propelled vehicle, a platform having a longitudinal slot therein, a shaft mounted on the platform and having traction wheels on opposite ends for supporting the body and having a ratchet wheel in register with said slot, a rack bar mounted in the slot of the body portion and normally biased to a forwardly slid position, said rack bar having a T-head at its forward end extending in the'slot with one branch extending below the platform and its other branch rising from the platform, a pedal mounted on the upper branch of the T-head, rollers carried by the T-head for engaging the upper and lower surfaces of the platform to pivotally andslidably anchor the forward end of the rack bar to the platform, said pedal adapted to receive pressure of the foot for forcing the rack bar rearwardly, and. rack bar lifting means carried by the platform and operable by the rack, bar on the power stroke thereof to raise the same into intermeshing engagement with said ratchet wheel.

11. In a propelled vehicle, a body portion having a traction wheel, a ratchet wheel connected to the traction wheel and having inclined faces on the teeth thereof, a rack bar slidably mounted in the body portion and having ratchet teeth for intermeshing with the ratchet wheel and also having inclined faces on its teeth whereby to insure easy separation of the rack bar and the ratchet wheel at times, an inclined guide operatively associated with the rack bar, means for sliding the rack bar in one direction to effect a power stroke, means for returning the rack bar to initial position, and connecting means movable on the guide and operable by the rack bar upon the power stroke thereof to move the rack bar into intermeshing engagement with said ratchet wheel.

ALBERT J. SCHOL'I'ES. 

